Masonry sub-flooring

ABSTRACT

A device for use in constructing a support surface for pavers and paving bricks comprising a planar tread surface; two elongated complementary mounting members being disposed at respectively opposite ends of the device and extending over substantially the entire width of the device, adapted to overlap and interlock. Thus when two devices are arranged end-to-end the complementary mounting members are fitted together and overlapping one another to define a mounting area. Each mounting member further includes a fastener receiving means, the fastener receiving means being located such that when a portion of the mounting member overlaps a corresponding portion of a complementary mounting member, the fastener receiving means of the portions are aligned to receive a single fastening element. The device further comprises two elongate engagement members disposed at opposite sides of the device and having shapes which are complementary to each other so that two devices can be arranged side-by-side with the complementary engagement members fitted together; and a grid-like area between said members including openings which pack, retain and support fine particulate matter, such as sand, marble dust, etc while simultaneously allowing water to drain through.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for the installation of masonry surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for installing paving blocks during the construction of driveways, walkways, patios, etc.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The usefulness and aesthetic qualities of masonry materials is generally recognized and appreciated. Brick or paving block driveways and patios bring beauty to both commercial and residential buildings and make it possible for home owners to enjoy their property by expanding their living and entertaining space to the outdoors.

Bricks and paving blocks are ideal materials to use in constructing outdoor masonry surfaces, i.e. driveways, patios, walkways, etc. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, they are extremely durable making them perfect for surfaces and all outdoor areas which incur a great deal of traffic. Consequently, many instances arise where it becomes necessary and or desirable to construct surfaces from bricks, pavers and or paving blocks.

Processes of constructing surfaces with bricks or paving blocks are time consuming and exhausting. One process comprises the steps of first forming the base, by preparing the area upon which the paving block surface will be installed. It includes breaking or ripping from the area the old materials laying thereon, using a sledge hammer, a jackhammer, or hydraulic powered machines such as a bobcat or a back hoe; marking the perimeter of the area; determining the height of the area; filling the area with gravel, finely crushed stoned or other material such as Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA); and compacting the gravel, preferably with a compactor, while optionally, simultaneously misting water over the area to ensure a good pack and form the base for the pavers.

Once the base is formed, the process further comprises optionally placing on the base, two parallel pieces of 1 (one) inch steel conduit pipe about 5 (five) feet apart; shoveling coarse sand between the conduit pipes; screeding the sand back and forth with a straight 10 ft, 2″×4″ board, to make it smooth; removing the steel conduit pipes, if they were used, and carefully filling the gaps made by the removed pipes, being careful all the while not to walk on the sand. The area of the screeded smoothened down sand ideally should not exceed 10×10 ft.

Once the 10×10 ft area of sand has been laid and screeded smooth, the process further comprises the placing of the pavers by starting it out in one of the corners of the 10×10 ft area, and laying out the pavers, one by one, in a triangular direction. Each new paver is laid against the previous paver it's placed next to and slid straight down, without sliding the pavers across the sand and without leaving gaps between pavers, nudging the pavers tighter by tapping with a hammer handle or a rubber mallet when necessary.

Once the 10×10 ft area of screeded, smoothened sand is fully covered with pavers, the process is repeated by preparing another 10×10 foot area of screeded, smoothened sand, adjacent to the area already paved, and laying of pavers thereon, in accordance with the process set forth herein above. The preparation of the sand base and the laying of the pavers is thus completed section by section until the base prepared earlier is fully and totally paved.

After the base is fully covered with the pavers have been laid out, the process further includes setting the pavers firmly into the sand with a plate compactor; sweeping additional sand into the surface cracks between the pavers and further vibrating the pavers with the place compactor, sweeping more sand in as necessary.

Another process generally comprises the steps of the foregoing process, except that the area is filled with less gravel. Thereafter the process comprises the steps of pouring a cement base or “scratch coat” on top of the gravel and allowing it to dry for twenty four hours to form a composite layer of cement and gravel; forty eight hours drying time is preferable. Once the cement and gravel composite layer has dried, placing a thin layer of coarse sand on top of the cement gravel composite layer, covering only a small area; screeding the sand to make it smooth; laying the paving stones, or paving blocks, or paving bricks on top of the small area of sand; and repeating the process of adding and screeding of the sand and laying of the pavers in incremental sections, until the entire area is totally paved.

Irrespective of whether a gravel or cement base is being used to support the sand, the paving blocks or pavers are laid on top of the sand by starting at one square corner of the area to be paved and progressing out in a triangular direction, laying each new paver it's placed next to and sliding it straight down taking care to avoid sliding pavers across the sand; installing each paver without leaving gaps, nudging them tighter by tapping with a hammer handle or a rubber mallet. After all of the pavers are cut and laid in place and the entire area is complete, setting the pavers or paving blocks firmly into the sand with a plate compactor and using the mallet and wood block to set hard to reach areas; sweeping sand into the surface cracks and vibrating them in one final pass sweeping more sand in as necessary.

Both of these processes have many disadvantages including among other things being extremely time consuming, lengthy, fatiguing, and demanding a lot of manpower. It takes quite a bit of time to bring the height of the sand to the appropriate level, set the paving blocks, bricks or pavers, and make the adjustments thereto. While screeding the sand helps pack the sand and smoothen its surface, the sand still remains relatively plastic or fluid. In other words, the sand can still shift and move. Accordingly, the placing of the pavers has to proceed slowly so as to not touch or disturb the sand. Touching the sand or disturbing it will cause the sand to sink, thereby forcing the screeding of the sand all over again.

Thus, the laying of the paving bricks, blocks or pavers has to proceed very carefully, in small sections, with the installer being on his or her knees, keeping a keen eye, checking the levels along the entire way and tapping each paver as he or she goes along, while the workers who feed the installer pavers (“feeders”) are constantly feeding him or her bricks. As a result, the fatigue accrued is enormous, particularly since the paving bricks can only be laid in small segment areas, oftentimes leading to injuries and increased absenteeism.

Consequently there are many disadvantages to these processes. First, the processes are extremely labor intensive. Since they are extremely labor intensive, they demand a lot of time to complete. Since they take a lot of time to complete, they are extremely expensive both for the entities or individuals who are having paved surfaces installed (homeowners, building management companies, etc.) and for the installation companies who not only incur the labor costs, but also incur the insurance costs and medical expenses for employees who become injured due to the paving.

In addition, the lack of support under the sand, irrespective of whether the sand is laid on gravel or on a cement under-flooring, the sand under the pavers will shift over time, particularly in the presence of water as for example when it rains or when the pavers are being washed and cleaned, which in turn can lead to the warping and ultimate destruction of the paved surface. As the water drains through the pavers over time, it creates canals in the sand which in turn leads to severe sand erosion. This erosion will cause the sand to shift and that shift will translate to movement of the bricks or pavers laid on top of the sand such that over time the entire appearance of the paved surface is completely marred or even destroyed.

The presence of the under-flooring cement base, when a cement base is used, does very little to prevent the shifting of the sand, either because it allows the water to drain in one direction thereby dragging the sand with it or alternatively, if there is a cement wash on the outside of the brick, it creates a pool which traps water underneath and in between the pavers to further destroy and erode both the surface and the bricks.

The relevant and material prior art has attempted to solve the problem of the shifting sand both during the paving process and once the paving process is complete, the forming of sand canals when water drains and pools beneath the pavers. It further has attempted to reduce both the time and the labor usually required for the installation of the pavers.

One example of such prior art is the QUICK BRICK PATIO SYSTEM which appears to be manufactured by ARGEE CORPORATION and actually sold on Harborfreight.com. A copy of the Harborfreight.com web site showing the QUICK BRICK PATIO SYSTEM is annexed hereto for reference. It comprises plastic interlocking forms that are capable of being arranged and interlocked over the surface to be paved, and which appear to be made of plastic.

Each interlocking form is square shaped having equal sides dimensioned 17¼″ long. It comprises a plurality of shallow enclosures dimensioned to hold the paving bricks in place and arranged to form different patterns. The shallow enclosures for the paving bricks are formed by a network of raised, intersecting ribbing, designed to prevent the shifting of the pavers while they are being laid down on top of the interlocking forms, and the disassembly of the paved surface over time. They are provided with apertures to prevent the pooling and allow the escape of the water, which drains through the pavers during a rain or washing incident. It is unclear as to whether the QUICK BRICK PATIO SYSTEM is laid over cement or sand or both.

Another example of such prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,236 B1 issued to Jeffrey T. Harvey; which discloses a horizontally level raised terrace floor system for mounting over a non-level or irregular substructure that includes a plurality of spaced apart support pedestals that are fabricated of a heat shearable foam material. Each pedestal is mounted upon the non-horizontally level substructure and the pedestals are heat sheared so that the top surface of each pedestal lies in a common horizontal plane above the substructure. A plurality of flat grates are placed directly upon the pedestals in an edge to edge relationship. A plurality of interlocking paving blocks are laid down over the grates to provide a tight deck over the grates.

The foregoing prior art still leaves much to be desired. For example the QUICK BRICK PATIO SYSTEM is limiting by virtue of its fixed, shallow enclosures which are arranged in one way and one way only, and dimensioned to fit only one type of brick, i.e., 8″Lx 3 & ⅞ brick. Thus the only way that a variety of patterns or designs could be created is by buying new forms with a different arrangement and sizing of the shallow enclosures within the square forms. This increases manufacturing costs dramatically as multiple molds would have to be created to produce a variety of forms for the purpose of enabling the consumer to create different paving designs with different pavers.

Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,236 B1 issued to Jeffrey T. Harvey does nothing to reduce the cost of installation and the labor associated with it, because it requires the flat grates to be placed on special pedestals that are fabricated of a heat shearable foam material.

Accordingly, there is still a need for a device and method for use in connection with pavers, paving bricks and paving stones that is inexpensive, less labor intensive, does not demand a lot of time to complete, and does not task the health of the installer of the pavers. Furthermore, there is still a need for a device and method that will allow the speedy installation of the pavers without any danger of the sand shifting, thereby obviating the need to install the pavers in one section at a time or to avoid stepping on the sand as the pavers are being laid. Finally, there is still a need for a device and method for use in connection with pavers that will prevent the pooling of water, allow for water drainage under the pavers and prevent the shifting of the pavers due to sand erosion over time. Without such device and method, the costs and labor associated with paving surfaces will remain high, the installation of the pavers will continue to be painstakingly slow, and the erosion of the sand underlying the pavers, the pooling of the water, and the resultant destruction of the paved surface will continue without check, contributing even more to the costs and expenses normally associated with paving surfaces.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

IT IS THEREFORE AN OBJECT of the present invention to provide for an apparatus and method for use in connection with pavers, paving bricks, paving stones and the like that is inexpensive both short and long term.

IT IS ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide for an apparatus and method for use in connection with pavers, paving blocks, paving stones and the like that is less labor intensive.

IT IS YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide for an apparatus and method for use in connection with pavers, paving blocks, paving stones and the like that does not demand a lot of time to complete and does not task the health of the installer of the pavers.

IT IS STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide for an apparatus and method a device and method that will allow the speedy installation of the pavers without screeding of the underlying sand, any danger of the sand shifting, thereby obviating the need to install the pavers in one section at a time or to avoid stepping on the sand as the pavers are being laid.

IT IS YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a device and method for use in connection with pavers that will prevent the pooling of water, allow for water drainage under the pavers and prevent the shifting of the pavers due to sand erosion over time.

IT IS STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a device and method for use in connection with pavers that will make the installation go smoother, be stronger and flat and level.

IT IS A FURTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a device and method for use in connection with pavers that will make the installation weather proof and resistant to all corrosive materials from acid to oil.

These objects, as well as other objects and advantages will become more apparent in the description that is set forth herein below, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a device for use in constructing a support surface for pavers and paving bricks. It comprises a planar tread surface; two elongated complementary mounting members being disposed at respectively opposite ends of the device and extending over substantially the entire width of the unit, adapted to overlap and interlock. Thus when two devices are arranged end-to-end the complementary mounting members are fitted together and overlapping one another to define a mounting area. Each mounting member further includes a fastener receiving means, the fastener receiving means being located such that when a portion of the mounting member overlaps a corresponding portion of a complementary mounting member, the fastener receiving means of the portions are aligned to receive a single fastening element. The device further comprises two elongate engagement members disposed at opposite sides of the device and having shapes which are complementary to each other so that two devices can be arranged side-by-side with the complementary engagement members fitted together; and a grid-like area between said members including openings which pack, retain and support fine particulate matter, such as sand, marble dust, etc while simultaneously allowing water to drain through.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim the present invention, it is believed that the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the numerals represent identical elements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the inventive device for use in constructing a support surface for pavers and paving bricks

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a left side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a right side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the device showing a different layout of the grid-like area;

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 10 is a left side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 12 is a right side elevational view thereof; and

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of multiple inventive devices assembled to form an area to be paved and in fact partially paved with paving bricks.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWINGS

-   -   10 grid unit     -   22 tread surface     -   24, 26 elongated mounting member     -   28 mounting member     -   30, 32 elongated engagement member     -   34, 36 grid like areas     -   40, 42 rows     -   44 transverse portions     -   46 longitudinal portions

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIG. 1, a grid unit in accordance with the present invention is generally denoted by reference numeral 10 and is intended to be used with other similar grid units to construct a support surface for pavers, paving bricks, and the like. It is of relatively lightweight construction overall. It is of a convenient “modular” size in that the individual grid units can be readily stored, transported, and handled, but at the same time conveniently assembled together.

Unit 10 is a structural foam molding and in this particular embodiment is made of polypropylene. It has been found that, even given its relatively shallow depth, the unit is quite rigid and exhibits significant resistance to bending about a transverse line, even when unsupported. When installed, the grid units provide a rigid and solid floor surface capable of supporting the weight of a person.

Referring now to the specific form of the grid unit 10 in somewhat more detail, it will be seen that the molding defines a tread surface generally denoted 22. The molding includes two elongated mounting members 24 and 26 at respectively opposite ends of the unit which have shapes which are complementary to each other so that two grid units can be arranged end-to-end with complementary mounting members fitted together. The elongated mounting members 24 and 26 are adapted to receive fastening elements for securing the grid units to each other, and if necessary to an underlying support. In this particular embodiment, the molding also includes a third mounting member 28 which extends parallel to the member 24 and 26 generally centrally of the unit for location above a support. All three mounting members are preformed with openings through which fastening elements such as nails or screws can be driven to secure the unit to any underlying support that might be optionally be used with the grid unit 10. In other cases, these preformed openings could be omitted and the fastening elements simply forced through the mounting members at the required locations.

The molding further includes two elongate engagement members 30 and 32 at respectively opposite sides of the grid unit 10. They have shapes which are complementary to each other so that when two grid units 10 are arranged side by side the complementary members 30 and 32 are fitted together.

Between the members 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 there are grid-like areas, generally denoted 34 and 36 which include square openings 38 through the molding for permitting the support of and holding the sand which will be used during the paving process while simultaneously allowing the draining of any water that might pass through the pavers. It will be seen that the openings 38 are arranged side by side in rows 40 and 42 extending transversely and longitudinally of the unit with the openings separated from one another by transverse portions 44 of the molding and by longitudinal portions 46 of the molding.

As indicated previously, the grid unit 10 is a one-piece structural foam molding. The technique of forming such a molding is well-known and involves the introduction of a foaming agent into a raw resin of a plastic material to form the cell structure of the foam. Baking powder can be used as the foaming agent in conjunction with polypropylene resin Although other forms of molding could be used, structural foam molding has a number of advantages compared with other techniques. The resulting product has high strength and good heat insulation properties, results in a relatively light weight product and is economical in terms of the plastic material used. Polypropylene is believed to be the preferred plastic material, and has the advantage that the grid unit 10 will readily return to its original shape after deformation. Polyethylene may also be used although with some increase in weight, to compensate for inferior creep properties.

It should finally be noted that the preceding description relates to a particular preferred embodiment of the invention only and that many modification are possible within the broad scope of the invention, in addition to those indicated previously. For example it is possible to provide units without mounting members, such that the units arranged end to end will simply abut one another along a vertical surface. In such cases the ends of the units might still be provided with apertures to receive screws for securing the units to an underlying support. Likewise the openings 38 can be any shape other than square. They can be circular, or rectangular or triangular.

Throughout the description and claims the mounting members and engagement members are described as being located on the ends and sides of the unit, respectively. This is solely for clarity of description, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as clearly, the mounting members and engagement members will operate satisfactorily when located at either the sides or ends of the unit.

The paving process in connection with which the grid unit 20 (described herein above) is used, comprises the following steps:

-   -   a) preparing and clearing the area that will be paved, as for         example a patio or a driveway; b) marking the area to be paved,         using for example spikes, to denote length, width, top, bottom,         and both sides of the area to be paved;     -   c) setting strings. If the area is a driveway with the sidewalk         removed, running a string from sidewalk to sidewalk (driveway         side) to establish the height of the top of the brick at the         bottom of the driveway. If the driveway at the opposite end of         the street, abuts the garage door, running a string across the         front of the door about 3 feet past where the work will end         (both sides). The string height will match the height of the         garage floor. Thereafter running strings, from the garage down         to the string at the sidewalk area, down both sides of the         driveway on the inside of the spikes, to establish the height of         where the top of the brick will be;     -   d) measuring down from the strings on the top and bottom on both         sides of the driveway the depth of the brick and the grid unit         20 and running a string down both sides of the driveway at the         highest depth of the brick and the grid unit;     -   e) placing forms down both sides of the driveway securing the         forms with spikes and backfilling the outside of the forms with         gravel;     -   f) covering the whole areas with about 2 inches of gravel;     -   g) running the compactor to pack the gravel while simultaneously         misting water over the area to insure a nice tight pack;     -   h) Repeating the process of adding gravel and running a         compactor to pack the gravel, until the height of the gravel         arrives at the top of the forms;     -   i) checking the gravel height when the gravel reaches to the top         of the forms;     -   j) starting at the bottom of the area, laying on top of the         compacted gravel one grid unit 10 at a time, by placing it end         to end and side by side to other grid units 10 already laid down         respectively, such that their complementary member 24 and 26 and         30 and 32 fit together and interlocking the grid units into         place, such that the entire area to be paved is covered with one         continuous surface of grid units;     -   k) running the compactor over the grated area locking the units         into the gravel and into place;     -   l) pouring sand on the grate units in place, sweeping it and         filling each and every square 38 to the top and misting water         over the entire area;     -   m) repeating the foregoing step;     -   n) setting the bricks on top of the grated unit surface as fast         as they can be set; and     -   o) when all of the brick is set, sweeping sand into the brick.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, it is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that various modification and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and intent of the present invention, as defined by the scope of the following claims. 

1. A method or process for use in connection with covering an area with pavers and paving bricks comprising the steps of covering said whole areas with about 2 inches of gravel; packing the gravel over the area; laying a grid unit on top of the compacted gravel one grid unit at a time, by placing it end to end and side by side to other grid units already laid down, such that their sides interlock the grid units into place, and the entire area to be paved is covered with one continuous surface of grid units; compacting and locking the units into the gravel and into place; pouring and sweeping sand on and into the grid units covering the area; setting the paving bricks on top of the grid unit surface; and when all of the brick is set, sweeping sand into the brick.
 2. A device for use in constructing a support surface for pavers and paving bricks comprising a planar tread surface; two complementary elongated mounting members being disposed at respectively opposite ends of the device and extending over substantially the entire width of the device, adapted to overlap and interlock, whereby two devices can be arranged end-to-end with the complementary mounting members fitted together and overlapping one another to define a mounting area, each mounting member including a fastener receiving means, the fastener receiving means being located such that when a portion of the mounting member overlaps a corresponding portion of a complementary mounting member, the fastener receiving means of the portions are aligned to receive a single fastening element; two elongate engagement members disposed at opposite sides of the unit and having shapes which are complementary to each other so that two devices can be arranged side-by-side with the complementary engagement members fitted together; and a grid-like area between said members including openings which pack, retain and support fine particulate matter while simultaneously allowing water to drain through. 